Purity
by wikelia
Summary: Regency AU. Servant girls do not normally dance with sons of nobles at balls. But Astrid happens to find herself quite liking this one. He stands apart from the rest. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

Sure, it was alright when Astrid broke the rules, but when someone else did it, it made her blood boil and an itch to stop them would always rise in her. Well, almost always. If she was feeling gracious. Seldomly, actually. Someone was taking one of the horses out. But all the residents of the manor were sleeping, so it was a thief in there.

Maybe today she was feeling particularly pure. Her usual mischievousness would not let the person go out of spite, because what had happened last night really had been pure. She had danced with a noble's son.

Astrid Hofferson, the poor servant's daughter, had danced with the son of a noble. Stoick Haddock's son had walked up to her and asked her to dance. It was a miracle that she was there at all, but to have his hand on her back and her hand on his shoulder as the music and their legs guided them was something else entirely.

Her breath had hitched as soon as Lady Heather Oswald had pointed him out.

Lady Heather was actually the reason she was there. She was good friends with her, even though she herself was a servant and Lady Heather was the daughter of the noble Astrid was in servitude to. Lady Heather had requested Astrid come, as her lady in waiting. This meant that she was also given a lovely gown, her face was also lightly and elegantly painted, and the most intricate braid had been done over her shoulder. Astrid had almost not recognized herself last night. Her mother had sobbed a little, all because she claimed her little girl looked beautiful (she had rolled her eyes at this - did it mean she was hideous to look at normally?).

The ball was thrown because Lady Heather's parents were hoping that their daughter and Stoick Haddock's son would take a liking to each other and perhaps secure a marriage. Lady Heather had pointed out her parents' desired fiance.

And Astrid had turned red.

He was quite handsome, there was no denying. But besides that, there was something that set him apart from the crowd, and it wasn't in his looks. His dressing was the same as all the other men, yet he did not exhibit the arrogance that most of them did. Lady Heather was quite humble, but even she looked gaudy in her dress, without trying.

They had talked a bit, with the rich woman telling Astrid her clear thoughts on the matter. She was simply not ready to be wed, and held no desire for Hiccup Haddock.

Hiccup Haddock. The name rang in her head even now.

An hour had passed since the dancing began, and yet Lady Heather had not been asked to dance. They had no problem with this - Heather was refreshed to have a friend to talk to and Astrid was refreshed to be at a party at all.

But then he had walked up to them.

And he looked so cute too, Astrid had thought, stumbling a little and blushing when people turned to see what he was doing. The dancing had stopped. This was why the ball was there. Here, he was to ask Lady Heather to dance.

Astrid's cheeks reddened every time she thought of what had actually happened. She had been blushing all night, not able to sleep, because Hiccup had turned to look directly at her, bowed gently, and asked, "Would you like to dance?"

Even now, in the stables, her heart pounded thinking of his words. Thinking of how Lady Heather had breathed in relief before saying, "Yes, yes, go, Astrid!" and waving her off. Thinking about how all the room had been watching her, in her blue gown and white gloves, walking to the middle of the dance floor.

But what had kept her truly unable to sleep was remembering the feeling of Hiccup Haddock's hand on her back and her's on his shoulder, and their two free hands meeting in the middle.

They had been so close. Astrid was sure her face had been completely red. He hadn't been doing so well himself.

And then, they had danced.

It was as if she was still dancing, really. The mere memories had her walking on air, her stomach responding to the steady gaze of his green eyes and his bright smile. They had danced and danced, not even stopping for a drink, until the music had stopped playing.

She knew who he was, of course, and he must have heard Heather call her, but besides his request to dance and her murmured assent, they had not spoken any words to each other.

Instead, she got to watch his auburn hair fall into his eyes, and wonder how it would feel to brush his hair away gently and kiss his forehead.

She had wanted to kiss him. Astrid had never kissed anyone, but she had wanted him to kiss her. She had wanted to see if his lips were as soft as they looked.

For one dance to be so dizzying, she had never expected.

So pure was she feeling, that she had woken up earlier than usual and made breakfast for her mother, who must have gone through a dozen rags before all her tears were wiped. Right now, everything was good, everything was pure, and she would not stand for wrongdoing. Astrid walked right into the stables, intent on stopping whoever it was, from stealing a horse.

And she froze, all purity vanishing on the spot as she saw who the thief was.

She was staring at Hiccup Haddock, son of Stoick Haddock, the man she had danced with last night, the best night of her life, who was atop a black horse, staring back at her with a look of guilt in those emerald green eyes.

 _ **Yes,**_ **there will be a Part 2. And no, no more than a Part 2. So please don't use that question as a review. I'm down, guys, give me paragraphs for once (Kidding, kidding, review what you want, thank you for reading).**


	2. Chapter 2

They stared at each other again, only this time, her heart was racing not because of how close they were, but because he was stealing something. And not just anything, a horse. One of the Di Range's horses. It was Lady Heather's brother's favorite.

"Stop," Astrid said, cursing herself for speaking quietly. What did it matter if they had danced last night? What did it matter that her heart had been pounding all night? What did it matter that he was the first man to look at her as though she was just as desirable as Lady Heather was?

Hiccup didn't say anything, but he slowly got off the horse, who whinnied as though in protest, although she didn't know why. He sighed, but he didn't get closer to her. Still, she naturally moved towards the mop leaning against the wall. If he was to attack, then she would attack right back.

"Astrid," he murmured, almost as quiet as she, "that is your name, right? Lady Astrid?"

She was hardly a lady, and that should have been apparent now. Of course, yesterday, she had looked like something out of a book, but today, her rags were dirty, her blonde hair had soot, and her shoes were plain and brown. At any rate, calling her a lady would not flatter her - it would not sway her. Astrid was nothing if not loyal.

"Please let me explain."

"Explain, Mister Haddock."

Astrid winced at herself. Calling him Mr. Haddock hurt her, because just an hour ago, he was Hiccup. Hiccup who had seen a princess and chose to dance with the lady in waiting instead. Hiccup who was different. And now we was Mr. Haddock, stealing a horse. She wanted Hiccup.

Astrid missed the purity she had felt a mere few seconds ago.

"Lady Astrid, this is my horse." Hiccup pat the black horse, and it pressed against his hand lovingly. "This is Toothless. Toothless, Astrid."

Deciding to be bold, she stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. Did he take her for a fool? "That is Sir Dagur's horse. I will tell him that you attempted to steal it."

Hiccup's face morphed into one of obvious dislike at hearing the man's name. Her's usually did as well - the young master of the manor was nowhere near as kind as the young mistress. But Hiccup was not in servitude to him. In fact, she had seen them talking last night.

"Milady, I'll prove to you this is my horse."

Ignoring how her heart raced at his nickname - not just lady, but milady? Why did the one she liked have to be a thief? - Astrid willed herself to step even closer, close enough for him to reach out and grab her (although she would most certainly kill him if he did). Her eyes gazed over what he was wearing, which most certainly looked like riding clothes.

"How?"

Hiccup extended a hand. She stared at it for a second, and then realized what he wanted. He wanted her to ride with him. Not only was that incredibly inappropriate, seeing as how she was not married to him, but it was dangerous as well. What if he took her somewhere deep in the forest and tied her up until she died of starvation?

Her imagination was getting the best of her.

Why, Astrid thought bitterly, did he have to have such open, honest eyes? Was it the emerald essence that made them so beautiful, was it the way they twinkled when he smiled like he was now, in hopeful foolishness, or was it just her, falling for him?

Whatever it was, it made her take his hand. And of course, another flash of memories went through her head, remembering the last time he had offered her his hand. They made her blush brightly, which must have made him realize exactly what they were about to do, because his cheeks began to dust with red as well.

No, for Thor's sake, she wanted to scream. You broke my heart and you're a thief, you're not supposed to be cute as well. (But if she hadn't found his shy aura so cute in the first place, her heart would not have been broken).

Her arms around his waist did nothing to help their condition.

"Hold on," was the only warning she got before the horse - Toothless - was off like a light, and Astrid gasped sharply and tightened her grip. The wind was biting at her, whipping through her hair, and Hiccup, to his credit, did not complain about the vice-like grip on his body, he was grinning much too wide as he rode.

"Toothless, high jump!"

"Alright, now straight run, bud!"

"Turn around!"

"Head for the stables again - and fast!"

Those words were not what he said. They were in Astrid's head. The horse did not need to be told what to do. It was as if it could read Hiccup's mind, know exactly what to do when he was around. Which helped Hiccup's case - Dagur was never this fluid with the black stallion. Astrid held on for dear life, because the horse would not slow down.

"Alright!" she finally shrieked, burying her face in his neck. "Alright, alright, I believe you!"

The horse did not stop, but it slowed down considerably. Hiccup placed a warm hand over her two gripping him tightly, and she felt him turn his head. He was looking at her now. Her face heated, and Astrid willed herself to go back to last night when everything had been amazing.

"Lady Astrid," he murmured, his breath hitting her cheek and making her shiver, "look, please? I - I may not know you well, but I think you'll like this."

Astrid complied, not willing to risk another wild ride. They were riding in the direction of the rising sun, and the sky was lit up beautifully. Her breath was stolen as she gazed at it, and then down to the horse, and finally right into the green orbs that had been in her dreams all night.

And suddenly, she was right back to the ball. So close to him in a gorgeous surrounding, staring into his eyes while he returned the favor, and very much wanting a taste of his lips.

The only difference was Astrid herself. She was filthy, and she looked very much like the servant girl she was. But maybe that was a positive change, because this time, Hiccup leaned in, waited a second to see if she would be okay with it, and kissed her lips chastely.

The tingly feeling that had been in her gut the past twelve hours suddenly exploded into something that should have panicked her, but oh gods, it felt so good. Astrid's eyes fluttered close, as her mouth moved with his and matched his rhythm. Her hands, which had loosened their grip on his waist, tightened again, and when she felt an arm loop around her back to keep her firmly in place and not fall off, Astrid had such a head rush that she gasped and pulled back.

Hiccup did not look quite as embarrassed as she did, but he was close nonetheless. Especially after he tried to speak, and all that came out was, "Wow."

Wow indeed. Every part of her skin felt tingly, Astrid wished he would hold her tighter. As soon as the thought entered her mind, he pulled his arm back, obviously thinking it an intrusion. She was proud of herself for not making any sound of protest, no matter how much she wanted to.

Hiccup started speaking quickly. "I was out riding, and I was doing a stupid move, and I spooked out Toothless. He started going even faster than he usually does, and I fell off. I saw him run here. And of course, it wasn't my land, so I couldn't go." He took a deep breath. "That was two months ago. So I started dropping hints to my father about wanting to marry. I knew he would propose balls and whatnot. I went to two balls before he finally remembered Lady Heather. I had to make sure that I wasn't too convincing so Lady Heather and I weren't actually married, and I had to make sure we were invited to stay the night, so I could sneak Toothless out early in the morning. Dagur won't be happy if he ever finds out I did it, but I can't lose Toothless." He looked so sincere that she squeezed his hand lightly. "He's my best friend."

"I understand," she said, taking his hand and bringing it to her chest, "I understand, Hiccup, he's your best friend. You love him." Her gaze changed slightly, and she looked down. "So...you danced with me...just to make sure you weren't mistaken for wanting to marry Heather?"

Don't be upset, Astrid, she told herself quickly, you never really were going to be with him anyway. People like him don't like people like me. Of course he was faking it. Foolish girl, just because you're so upfront about your emotions doesn't mean everyone is.

Hiccup stared at her in disbelief, before shaking his head quickly. "No, no, Lady Astrid! T-that wasn't part of the plan!" He swallowed. "I-it wasn't every dance that I saw a - a really pretty woman - and I, uh…kind of...really...wanted...to dance with you?" He closed his eyes, glowing red with embarrassment.

Astrid's heart sung with relief, and without further ado, she kissed him again, and his eyes widened in shock before he cupped her cheek and kissed back fiercely. Their lips moved in sync, and again Hiccup pulled her closer, making the rosy blush return to her cheeks.

Once again, she was flooded with a sense of purity.

 **It's a good thing I finished this earlier today because right now I am so pissed with myself (** _ **please**_ **don't ask me why or leave condolences in the reviews - leave the reviews for reviews) and this would not have been okay if I did it now. At least, now it's average.**


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